Having been involved in some of the highest profile court-martial cases from the “War on Terror” and the “War on Sex Assault,” our lawyers have an extensive and winning track record of taking on and beating military prosecution teams. Our lawyers maintain a small caseload and personally handle cases from beginning to end. We fight like gladiators to protect our clients.

We wrote this book, Pattern Cross-Examination for Sexual Assault Cases: A Trial Strategy & Resource Guide, because, in sexual assault trials, many prosecution witnesses see themselves as advocates and members of the prosecution team. Some witnesses will do whatever is necessary to win and send the defendant to prison. This may include lying, exaggerating, and misstating facts. This book is written for criminal defense lawyers on the front lines in the war on sexual assault. It contains pattern questions that will help dominate prosecution witnesses and level the playing field.

“We aren’t in class anymore! Kick-Ass Closings is written from the trenches, by trial lawyers who actually try cases, and win. If you want to be a closer, you need this book.”

Kick-Ass Closings is a powerful resource for new and experienced criminal defense lawyers, so they can deliver devastating closing arguments with minimal prep time. This book provides a simple and straightforward template that can be used in any criminal trial and hundreds of sample closing arguments that can be crafted to fit the facts of your case. Click here to read more.

Selecting the Best Military Defense Attorney

How to choose the best military defense lawyer: Many military lawyers claim they’re “the best,” but their background and experience say otherwise. We invite you to compare us with any other military law firm and decide for yourself.

Michael Waddington is a member of the American Board of Criminal Lawyers (ABCL), the most prestigious group of high-profile criminal lawyers in the world. The ABCL is like the “Pro Football Hall of Fame,” but for criminal lawyers. Requirements for admission include having at least ten (10) years of criminal trial experience. Attorneys must have tried at least fifty (50) major felony cases to verdict and won at least thirty-five (35). At least five (5) of those must be capital or life sentence cases. WATCH THIS VIDEO TO LEARN MORE.

Our firm has a portfolio of high profile cases, including cases from the War on Terror. These cases have been featured in print and broadcast media throughout the world, on outlets including: ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN Fox, Newsweek, the New Yorker, The Washington Post, and USA Today. Mr. Waddington has also served as a consultant to 60 Minutes, ABC Nightline, CNN, CBS, and the Golden Globe-winning television series, “The Good Wife.”

Results Of Recent Court Martial Cases

Compare our results with any military defense lawyer anywhere in the world – military or civilian.

What you’re up against in court-martial cases and why you need an experienced military lawyer

We fight court-martial cases throughout the United States, Europe (Germany, Naples, Aviano, Italy, Rota, Spain, Sicily, England, Signonella, Belgium, the Netherlands, Hungary, Cyprus, Greenland, and Turkey), the Middle East (Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Afghanistan, and Iraq), and the Pacific (South Korea, Hawaii, Japan, Okinawa, and Guam). We represent military clients that are under investigation by CID, OSI, and NCIS, with the objective of avoiding criminal charges.

If you’re facing trial in the military justice system, the deck is stacked against you. The prosecution has virtually unlimited resources and all the attorneys and paralegals it needs to work toward imprisoning you for the maximum sentence. Defendants feel helpless, scared, and overwhelmed. They feel like a guilty plea is their only option, which is exactly what the prosecution wants.

A guilty plea should only be a last resort. It should only be entered with the competent representation of qualified counsel who has your best interest at heart. Even when there’s that a chance a defendant can prove his or her innocence, it’s not uncommon for military or civilian defense attorneys to instead enter a guilty plea.

Select Your Military Lawyer With Care Or Become Another Statistic

With a conviction rate of more than 90% in the military justice system, and 95% of people convicted being stripped of their rank and benefits, discharged, and imprisoned, selecting the best defense attorney couldn’t be more critical. When choosing a defense lawyer, military or civilian, ask them to describe the last 20 cases they defended. Were they jury trials? Was there a discharged? How many acquitted? Then call our trial lawyers to discuss your options. Here’s what you’ll be up against and why you need a fearless civilian attorney in your corner.

Prosecution teams often outnumber assigned military defense lawyers 5 to 1. The prosecution will use every tactic they can to manipulate all aspects of a case and thwart the defendant’s ability to mount an adequate defense.

Requests for delays and continuances to give defendants adequate time to prepare their defense are often denied. Prosecutors offer witnesses favors, plea deals, and immunity as long as they say what they’re asked to help win a case.

Another common tactic is charging a service member using the “shotgun approach.” This tactic uses as many charges as possible to leave defendants little choice but to plead guilty. It is not uncommon to see court-martial charge sheets that are three pages long with the same charge repeated in different ways.

The Government has plenty of well-trained investigators, including CID, CIS, OSI, MPI and CGIS. They are all working to find any and all information about you. Investigators often lose, overlook, or misplace evidence that helps the defense. Prosecutors and law enforcement will twist favorable facts and use them against you at trial.

Military investigators commonly use lies, trickery, and deceit. They are trained in shady interrogation tactics, and they’re good at it. Investigators will try to get away with as many sneaky tactics as a defense lawyer allows. That’s why it’s important to hire a lawyer who knows the tricks of the trade and can use them to your advantage.

Rank plays a key role in determining a case’s outcome. From the Judge to the jury, defendants are outranked. That includes the Chief of Military Justice (the Convening Authority that decides if a defendant will face a court-martial and picks the jury), the Staff Judge Advocate, preliminary hearings officers, and your assigned military lawyer. That’s why an aggressive military defense lawyer who’s not subject to rank is critical to a winning defense.

The Staff Judge Advocate, the Convening Authority’s legal adviser, is required to be fair and impartial in the name of justice. But to many SJAs, “justice” means getting a conviction, a discharge, and the toughest sentence possible. As the prosecutor’s boss, the SJA isn’t concerned about your freedom or your family’s welfare. They just want a conviction. They will bully prosecutors and your own defense attorneys alike to get it. Even when preliminary hearing officers find facts that don’t support bringing charges, some SJA offices still proceed to trial.

The rules of a court-martial trial also work against defendants. The prosecution is allowed to call any witnesses they desire without informing the defense of what those witnesses will say. But the defense must disclose exactly what its witnesses will say and what role their testimonies will play. Some judges require the defense to disclose even more details, revealing the entire defense strategy. In high profile cases, military defense lawyers face incredible pressure to plead guilty.

Bottom line: If you want a fair shot in the military justice system, you need a fearless, aggressive, military defense lawyer in your corner to even the odds.

Military Lawyer – Sexual Assault Trial Lawyer

As criminal defense lawyers who have defended service members around the world in both court-martial cases and administrative separation boards, Michael Waddington and Alexandra González-Waddington are known for being aggressive, fearless and hard-hitting. Despite overwhelming odds, our firm has successfully defended cases in Korea, Japan, Iraq, Kuwait, and other cities around the world. Our defense lawyers have a history of winning cases at trial, so prosecutors take them seriously.

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